What Antenna is this please ?

[RC4]

I have someone wanting to give this antenna to me for free just wondering what it was. I’d guess a 5/8 wave but the top thingy is confusing the hell out of me lol

 

[nd5y]

Which one? I see three antennas.
Two TV and one CB.

 

[mmckenna]

Looks like the old Radio Shack CB antennas (and whoever made them for radio shack…).

Top 3 point thing is a capacity hat.

If it's free, if you can get it down safely, if you can transport it, if you have a place to install it, and you can reinstall it safely, then it would be great for CB. Or shorten it and use it to listen to VHF low band.

Take it apart, shine up all the aluminum joints. Replace any wonky hardware. Enjoy.

 

[doctordialtone]

The tall one looks like a "Super Magnum" CB antenna or at least a similar product.

 

[RC4]

Which one? I see three antennas.
Two TV and one CB.

Lol the CB antenna please

 

[oldradioguy2010]

I thought the lod Super Mag had 4 druping ground planes.
I think that has 3 ground planes.
Super Mag was a 1/2 wave.
I think that is a 5/8 wave.
Just a observation.


DW
So. Cal

 

[prcguy]

The CB antenna is either a Hy-Gain CLR2 or a Radio Shack 5/8 which look identical at a distance. No other antenna I can think of looks like that. I've owned several of both and still have a Hy-Gain in the garage.

 

[W5ATX]

Or a hustler G-2537, but by looking at the base section it is very similar to the super penetrator (the old style) which has 4-radials. So i'll also go with the CLR-2.

 

[prcguy]

The Radio Shack 5/8 and the CLR2 are very hard to tell apart unless you look closely at the hardware and insulators. I believe the CLR2 had clamps on the elements that would allow adjustment and the Radio Shack might have had pre drilled holes and screws and only went together one way. The Radio Shack had a round circuit board in the base right above the connector that had a tapped printed circuit coil that would burn up with about 300w. I never took a CLR2 apart because I never burned one of those up.

Or a hustler G-2537, but by looking at the base section it is very similar to the super penetrator (the old style) which has 4-radials. So i'll also go with the CLR-2.

View attachment 129971

 

[W8HDU]

Had one of those. Good performing antenna.

 

[W5ATX]

The Radio Shack 5/8 and the CLR2 are very hard to tell apart unless you look closely at the hardware and insulators. I believe the CLR2 had clamps on the elements that would allow adjustment and the Radio Shack might have had pre drilled holes and screws and only went together one way. The Radio Shack had a round circuit board in the base right above the connector that had a tapped printed circuit coil that would burn up with about 300w. I never took a CLR2 apart because I never burned one of those up.

Yup! and if i remember correctly they had the Archer name on the box. You have one in your garage? Snap a photo of the box and part number if you have it, I love old antennas. It should have 2-piece full 1/4 wavelength radials whereas the 1/2-wave little brother had smaller 1 piece if i recall correctly. does the archer variant have the 3-smaller top hat radials at the top? which one had the half moon ones that made it look like a 3-piece ball on the top? I remember the old sigma 5/8, and midland made one too. There's lots of knock-off's out there now that are cheap junk compares to the old stuff. most of the old stuff you can clean the connections, install new hose clamps, U-bolts and stick it back up in the air.

I got my hands on a new SPT 500 penetrator made by MightyFineJunk and it lasted about 6 months before I threw it in the trash. After every storm I had to lower it and do maintenance on it. The new matching circuit is about as reliable as a ritz cracker in the rain. I cant believe it costs just under $300 to get one now. I also assembled a Maco 5/8 and they are just as bad.

I guess the take home point is that they don't make stuff like they used to, the older thicker aluminum just lasts longer compared to the thinner disposable ones found today.

 

[prcguy]

I don't have the box and here is a pic of the base and two piece ground radial junction with self tapping screw. I believe this one is a Radio Shack based on the self tapping screws at all the element junctions and the lighter color of the plastic insulators. To me the insulator looks like "Radio Shack Grey". It has three capacity hat elements. Total length put together is 19ft 10in, same as the CLR2.

I accidently removed the base insulator thinking it was another antenna that needed a mod and this one has an insulated wire tapped coil in the base instead of the round circuit board I'm used to seeing. I've lit this one up with 1.2kW (on 10m amateur of course ) and it survived ok where a circuit board model would have gone up in smoke. If its a Radio Shack its a very late model.

Yup! and if i remember correctly they had the Archer name on the box. You have one in your garage? Snap a photo of the box and part number if you have it, I love old antennas. It should have 2-piece full 1/4 wavelength radials whereas the 1/2-wave little brother had smaller 1 piece if i recall correctly. does the archer variant have the 3-smaller top hat radials at the top? which one had the half moon ones that made it look like a 3-piece ball on the top? I remember the old sigma 5/8, and midland made one too. There's lots of knock-off's out there now that are cheap junk compares to the old stuff. most of the old stuff you can clean the connections, install new hose clamps, U-bolts and stick it back up in the air.

I got my hands on a new SPT 500 penetrator made by MightyFineJunk and it lasted about 6 months before I threw it in the trash. After every storm I had to lower it and do maintenance on it. The new matching circuit is about as reliable as a ritz cracker in the rain. I cant believe it costs just under $300 to get one now. I also assembled a Maco 5/8 and they are just as bad.

I guess the take home point is that they don't make stuff like they used to, the older thicker aluminum just lasts longer compared to the thinner disposable ones found today.